Cowetans continue recovery

by Clay Neely

Bradley Hartsell, a staff writer for The Newnan Times-Herald, was released from Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville South Carolina on Tuesday and returned to his parents’ home in Kingsport, Tenn., to begin his physical rehabilitation.

Hartsell and his girlfriend, Hannah Latimer of Newnan, were injured in an accident on Interstate 85 near Anderson, South Carolina, on April 16 on the way from Newnan to Tennessee for Easter weekend.

Latimer is now on a full diet and will be discharged today to continue physical therapy in Georgia. Latimer had her tracheotomy and jaw wires removed on Monday and continues to make significant progress. However, she will still have to wear the neck brace for another seven weeks or so because of a fractured neck.

While Hartsell will be staying with his parents in Tennessee for outpatient physical therapy, it is unsure for how long until after his initial evaluation. He is currently walking with a cane and doing well, according to family members. Hartsell and Latimer were both involved in an accident near Anderson, South Carolina, around 7:40 p.m. Wednesday, April 16. Hartsell, who was driving, ran into the back of a fire department rescue vehicle that was stopped in the left-hand lane of I-85 northbound assisting at an earlier accident.

“It's been a blessing to see God's hand throughout Bradley’s and Hannah's recovery, and to feel the love, warmth, and continual prayers of so many,” said Bradley’s aunt, Cheryl Hartsell.